Vice President Thomas D. Wallace
Thomas D. Wallace, Vice President for Student Affairs at California State University,
Bakersfield, began his appointment February 15, 2012. He has held administrative and
faculty positions at the University of Mississippi and the University of Nebraska,
Omaha. He is Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Associate Professor of Education,
Emeritus, at the University of Mississippi.
In 2011, Dr. Wallace received the Curulis Award presented by the Student Government
Association at the University of Nebraska, Omaha. It is student government’s highest
honor presented to a faculty or staff member providing outstanding service to students.
In June 2012, after only five months as Vice President for Student Affairs at California
State University, Bakersfield, Dr. Wallace was selected Administrator of the Year
by the Associated Students, Inc. He was named Northwest Mississippi Community College
Alumnus of the Year in 2008 and the University of Mississippi, School of Education,
Alumnus of the Year in 1998. During that same year he was presented with the Ole
Miss Alumni Association’s Minority Award of Distinction. The Board of Trustees of
the State Institutions of Higher Learning for the State of Mississippi named Dr. Wallace,
Black History Month Educator of the Year in 1999. In October 2015, the Alumni Association
of the University of Mississippi inducted him into its Distinguished Hall of Fame.
In February 2017, the CSUB Black Student Union presented Dr. Wallace with the Unity
Award for contributions in promoting diversity and collaborations. He received the
President’s Award, June 2018, for outstanding contributions to California State University,
Bakersfield. In May 2024, he was inducted into the University of Mississippi’s School
of Education Hall of Fame.
Student enrollment has increased almost every year Wallace has served as the chief
student affairs officer. He has initiated numerous programs and activities to foster
harmony, respect and acceptance among students and campus communities. He has garnered
the respect and support of faculty, staff, students and alumni on every campus he
has worked. Under his leadership, campuses have been transformed to student-centered
environments.
Dr. Wallace is a noted lecturer, facilitator and consultant on topics such as diversity,
social justice, leadership development, student recruitment and retention and athletic
assessment. He served on the Executive Board of Phi Kappa Phi Honorary Society, held
the position of Mississippi Director for the National Association of School Personnel
Administrators (NASPA) for four years and served as a faculty member for the Mississippi
Economic Council’s Leadership Mississippi Program, the country’s second oldest state
leadership program. He serves as an athletics consultant assisting universities in
assessing student-athletes’ well-being, academic success, community engagement and
competitive success.
In representing Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., Dr. Wallace presented the idea for
the Chucky Mullins Courage Award to former Ole Miss Senior Associate Athletics Director
for Media Relations, Langston Rogers. The award, nationally recognized, is given annually
to the Ole Miss football player exhibiting leadership, courage and perseverance. This
award is the highest honor bestowed on a player. Other notable programs and services
initiated by Dr. Wallace during his tenure at Ole Miss include the Rebel Run, the
Employee Health Center and the Physical Therapy Unit. The FASTrack Learning Community
got its origin from “Getting a Great Start”, a pilot program with 25 students designed
to help first year students transition to a college campus.
Dr. Wallace received his Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, Master of Arts
in Education Administration and Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership all
from the University of Mississippi. He received additional training from the American
Association of the State Colleges and Universities’ Millennium Leadership Institute
in Washington D.C. and the Harvard University, Institute for Educational Management.
When hired in March of 1990 as the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs,
Wallace became the University of Mississippi’s first African American vice chancellor.
In July 1999, he ascended to the role of Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs.
His wife of 34 years is Phyllis Hairston Wallace. They have three children: Dee 32,
Gigi 31, Ty 26, and one grandchild, Lynnox Nova.